


Learning the truth

by Joy_00



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25338565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joy_00/pseuds/Joy_00
Summary: An envelope sent at a wrong time. What harm can it bring to the couple?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	Learning the truth

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic! As I’m not a native English speaker, I’m pretty sure there would be lots of errors. But please enjoy!
> 
> Characters are not mine!

Ron Weasley was in Harry Potter’s attic, trying to sort piles of envelopes which almost covered two corners of the small room. Harry had begged him to clean up the garbage-dump like room, and promised a new broom polisher after this tedious work.

During the clean-up, he found a green envelope, written ‘To Severus Snape’ in the cover. Curious, he tried to open it, but it didn’t open up. It was spelled only to be opened by the receiver. Sighing, Ron put the envelope inside his pocket. He would send it to Professor Snape-via owl post so that Snape wouldn’t blame him for anything-and ask Harry for another reward for doing it.

* * *

When rumors about the marriage law going into effect turned out not to be just rumors, people didn't worry about it. There was the Golden girl whom everyone was so sure would go to the ministry and give a speech about how this law could violate the rights of witches and wizards. And yes, of course Hermione Granger had done it. For the first few weeks, the first page of the Prophet was all about Hermione shouting for human rights. But the ministry was adamant as ever. The population of the wizarding world was terribly low, and without the marriage law, two to three more generations and the world of wizardy and witchcraft would end, Voldemort or not. A month later, people from age 18 to 45 who weren't married got their letters of whom they were tied to.

And when Severus Snape came back from New York for his demonstration in the latest variant of healing potions, he got a letter which stated that he was thrown into a marriage with Hermione Granger. The law stated that they wouldn't even have to schedule a wedding if they didn't want to. The papers would show their status as ‘married’ with or without the wedding within two weeks. Whichever house bigger would be the one the married couple would live. There would be severe penalties if they couldn’t live together. It didn’t require consummation, but asked for a child within 3 years of marriage, with a total of at least two children. After five years of marriage and with more than two children, the couple were allowed to be free from the law.

As Severus had a Prince's estate (which was given to him from his family after his history was pasted all over the world by Harry Potter), Hermione moved into Severus’ house. The first month was hell. Severus couldn’t get over the feeling that Hermione was a student who just graduated from Hogwarts, which made him feel like a pervert. He avoided contact with her, even though she tried to talk with him. They had separate rooms that were kept private, so if he didn’t want to, she could never see him. At least the law didn’t require any type of consummation, he thought. He had every intention of making it happen as late as possible.

He started to pay attention to Hermione after two months. She was not the girl who had disrupted his class, but a young and vibrant woman who loved books and took care of the minorities. When he first began to listen to what she was talking, he realized that she had studied recent potions experiments just to speak with him during meals. He didn’t intend to respond to her talking, but when she started to criticize his works for his attention, he couldn’t bite back a retort. On the first day he finally made a conversation with her, she smiled so brightly he was taken aback. They started to talk about their works and concerns, and Severus enjoyed everything between them. In the beginning he liked the creative ideas and new perspective that she provided, but he slowly started to think of her more often. Her laughter when he gave a snarky comment, a slight frown of disapproval, and her smile. Her smile was a vibrant light, and he wanted to see it every day. At last he admitted that he liked her.

Today he had asked her to have dinner with him outside. It was almost their 1st anniversary(even though they didn’t have a wedding), and he wanted to subtly tell her about his emotions. While he was thinking of how to celebrate their anniversary, an envelope flew in via owl post. It was a light green envelope, which was sent for him. He didn’t have anybody to send a letter; frowning, he opened the envelope. 

_‘Mr, Snape,_

_I have learned by chance that your mate wasn’t to be Ms. Hermione Granger. It’s your choice to believe it or not, but I hereby send you a photo of whom your mate should have been in first place. I wish you happiness, after all of your honorable actions during the war. You will be free from your manipulative so-called wife.’_

After a flicker of confusion, Severus stalked into his room for the marriage papers. After a few complicated spells he found out another name underneath Hermione’s name. He got furious. How could Hermione do this to him? He was so sure that he wouldn’t be manipulated or tricked by another person, and even told Hermione about this. They had promised each other not to keep secrets to each other. And yet she had hidden this for a year.

“Severus, I’m back. Sorry for being a bit late, I needed to finish some paperwork. Where are you, we’re late for our dinner reservation.”

Perfect timing, Severus thought. He would ask her; she might not have done it. He wanted to believe it as a mistake of the ministry.

“Hermione, I have gotten a letter from an anonymous person who told me that my marriage papers were tampered. And it tells me that the one who did it was you.”

And her pale face showed enough truth to Severus. Hermione also knew that she couldn’t lie to him, not after she already showed everything by her slight expressions.

“I’m sorry, Severus. I can explain. The letter was sent-“

“No, Hermione. I don’t want to hear any excuses from you. All these months you have lied to me. You told me that we were both victims of this law, and you felt fortunate that I was your companion. Who was your original husband-to-be? Was he such an abysmal choice that you needed to change your papers?”

“Severus, please-” Hermione was in the verge of tears. But he couldn’t stop.

“Did you think that I would be so thankful that the hero of the Second War would be my wife? That I would just forgive you after this truth came out? No, Mrs. Who shouldn’t have been Snape. You have tormented me for seven years as a student, and even taken away my chance of happiness. All I wanted after the war was to have a person I could love and be loved by, and you ruined everything.”

He knew he had crossed the line, but he himself was too frustrated to think about it. He was so caught in his anger that he couldn’t see Hermione suddenly clutching her chest and getting white as sheet while he was expressing his rage. And so, when she apparated with a crack, he thought she couldn’t stand his disdain. She deserves it, he thought.

* * *

Severus sighed, sitting down on his armchair. Hermione hadn’t come back for four days. Four days. She had never left this house for more than a day, even when they had badly fought. Immediately after she left, he started to regret what he had said. Of course, he was angry at her for lying to him for a whole year about the marriage law. He should never even talk to her again for what she had done. But if she just came back to him, he thought he could forgive anything. Also, he should have listened to her. She had something to tell him. He regretted saying that she had ruined everything; he meant nothing of it.

When the doorbell rang, he almost ran to the door with a glimmer of hope that she might’ve come back. Logically he knew that she would’ve just opened the door, but he wanted to see her so much so that he couldn’t think deeply about it. Opening the door, he saw Harry Potter standing in front of him. His eyes, green as ever, weren’t as vibrant as he remembered to be. He just wanted nothing more than to see those shining brown eyes.

“Sir, I need to talk to you.”

His face reduced back into a deep scowl. Of course, Hermione wouldn’t come back after everything he’d said. But why would Potter bang on his door with such force?

“I don’t have anything to talk about with you, Potter. I am very busy, and stay away from my house if you don’t wish to be hexed.”

With all the grace he could muster, Severus turned around and flicked his hand to make the door shut with a terrible sound. Or he tried to, but stopped himself when he heard Harry’s pleading.

“Please, it’s about Hermione. She needs help, professor. Only you-“

“What do you mean about needing help?”

Severus led Harry into the house, vowing to himself that if it was nothing serious he would hex the boy into oblivion.

“Now tell me, Potter. If it wasn’t worth my time, I will personally ward you out from this house forever.”

“Hermione almost threatened me to keep it as a secret, especially from you. I really know that you don’t care for her, and certainly don’t plan to. But I can’t let her-”

“Get to the point, Potter.”

Severus snapped at the young man in front of him. Who was he to tell he didn’t care for Hermione? How could anyone not care for her? She was the epitome of warmth and love.

“Sir, have you heard of the curse mors oscula?”

Yes, he had read about it in books. The victim would feel constant pain in her heart, which intensified as time went by. The only way to counter it was the kiss from her mate. By what he had read, the time the victim could bear without being mad with severe pain was about a year and half, with a maximum of 2 years.

“Yes, I’m aware of the existence of the curse. Go on.”

“She had been cursed by a death eater during the final war. In her last year in Hogwarts she learned that you were her mate.”

Nonsense, he thought. Not only that he couldn’t be her mate, but also that pain can’t be suppressed in natural ways. She looked more than healthy. Also, the mate was not chosen randomly; the victim should have had emotions for the other person. Harry went on speaking, as if responding to the professor’s untrusting eyes.

“She silenced the attacker, which made her curse weaker than the normal version. However, it didn’t weaken the pain. This version made her pain durable with pain potions. She has been taking all kinds of pain potions to keep fainting. Since last year she had doubled her dose because her body started forming resistance to normal doses. And last month she started taking triple.”

Foolish Gryffindor, that much potion would have killed her in less than a month. But still, he couldn’t understand why she didn’t ask for just a kiss, if he was her mate. She should have come to him. Looking at Severus’ confused yet troubled expression, Harry went on.

“I don’t know if you are aware, sir, that the kiss will break the curse but also form a bond between the two, which would never break unless one of them dies. Of course you would’ve known it, but I just want you to understand why Hermione didn’t just show up and told you. Actually, Ginny was even elated with the marriage law because she thought it would at least give Hermione a chance.”

So that was it. The reason why she needed him to be his partner. She thought she could make him attracted to her (which he actually did), and thus help her break the curse even though it meant being tied to her forever. He expected himself to be angry at her again, but he felt calm. Nevertheless, he spoke harshly to Potter.

“Was that the reason she changed me into her partner? Just to get rid of her curse and make me tied forever to her without me knowing about it?”

Harry looked confused.

“No, she didn’t want you to be burdened with it. That’s why she never told you about herself even though Ginny and I almost begged her to. And as far as I know, she had never tampered with the results.”

Severus sneered at the young man. Apparently, Hermione didn’t even tell her so called friend about her actions.

“But Potter, the paper had another name on it, which could have been erased only by complicated and subtle magic. Even I had been oblivious to the fact it had ever been changed. I got a letter from a generous person who kindly told me that my paper was tampered.”

And that was when Harry’s face paled with horror rising in his eyes. It was as if he was struck by lightning. He cried out in a strangled voice.

“Oh, Hermione. What was she thinking?”

He pulled his hair, showing distress. After few minutes of silence and Harry’s mumbling, Severus grasped Harry’s shoulders. He shook him, almost painfully, for an answer. Harry’s eyes, now brimming with unshed tears, gazed him with sorrow.

“Sir, she didn’t try to change your partner to her. She tried it to make you free from her.”

Severus stepped back from the almost-crying boy. He couldn’t quite understand. If she was her partner from the start, why try to do something with it? Did she want something more?

“Elaborate, Potter.”

“She always thought she would not be loved from you, and that you would be happier with someone like Lily. I thought it was just her concerns; I never thought she would’ve done something about it. When she first got her letters and found out that you would get your letter a few days later due to your circumstances, she had disappeared for a few days. When she came back, I had never seen her more resigned in her entire life. I didn’t know why by then, but I’m sure it was because she failed to change your papers. And those letters, I’m sure that it was Hermione herself who had written it. The envelope was green, wasn’t it? Yesterday Ron told me that he sent a letter which was in the attic. I hadn’t paid enough attention to it. Last year, Hermione gave the envelope to me, asking to send it to you if she couldn’t overcome the curse. She wanted you to get over her death as quickly as possible by making you loathe her, because she knew that you hated to be controlled.”

Realization downed on him. The woman’s photo that was inside the envelope; he hadn’t even closely looked at it. He walked over to the table for the envelope and quickly pulled out the photo. She had green eyes and red hair. Hermione Granger, after her death, wanted him to be paired with that woman who looked just like Lily. She had, of course, known his love for Lily Potter. And she also had endured seven years of his insults and berating, which had diminished all hope for her own happy ending. She had cared for him too much to ask for his sacrifice. So her logical thinking must have led to ensuring at least his own happiness; by matching him with his ideal love. And when it failed, she tried to become matchmaker even after her own death. His heart clenched. While lashing out, he had sliced open her already insecure mind. He had deeply carved another wound into her own fears. He had told her she had taken his chance from happiness, while she was the only source of happiness in his life for a long time. And now, because of his foolishness, he might lose her.

“Where is she?”


End file.
